junehhan

This right here. It is critical not to use a POS oil filter because we are no longer dealing with the 3000 mile factory recommended oil change intervals that our grandparents used to deal with. FRAM is garbage, and is proof that anyone can sell you a really crappy product just because they have good marketing(Bose is another example). Just do a google and you will read about problems, including testimony from Fram employees themselves. I change my oil every 7500 miles in the FFH, but that is mostly because I have not conditioned myself to feel comfortable doing it at 10k miles yet. "Extended" drain intervals are really nothing new as I remember an old Land Rover of mine had oil change intervals of 12k miles, although that required the use of Mobil 1 5w40 or Castrol 5w50.

The same thing happened to me, except I ended up with a massive spill. I was filling up at a very ghetto Shell gas station and the nozzle wouldn't shut off and kept continuing to spill fuel everywhere. Not only did I get a puddle underneath, but it actually spewed back out of the nozzle as well. However, I normally don't even bother trying to top it off once it clicks off on its own as I noticed that there is very little room to put more in. On my Focus, I used to try adding upto another $1 worth of petrol after the initial click off.

This backup camera option is one of those deals that makes you go, "where in the world has this been my entire life." It is something that I know cannot believe I lived without, as it is rock solid, and very clear. I have the navigation system, so I get a really nice image with a nice wide viewing angle. I especially like it when I am backing into tight parking garage spaces in public parking garages, as well as if I am backing out as it will often catch things that my eyes miss due to the location of the C-pillar.

You have to be careful when you read what some hypermiles suggest, because some of them are actually crazy and won't pay for your repairs should something go wrong. The internet is full of hobbyists who often give improper advice. If you wish to go to a thinner oil, I believe the only one that still meets Ford's specifications is the Mobil 1 0w20 full synthetic. Other than that, you will want to make sure that you use at least a semi-synthetic 5w20 that meets Ford's specs. What Ford suggests is not overly aggressive at all, and is viewed by some to be stretching things a bit longer than what many of us are used to. Oh, and please do not use those Jiffy Lube and similar quick lube places. If you trust your dealership, you can always give them a try and establish a relationship with them. Some dealers are a lot more reasonable with their prices than others, so I can't suggest one way or the other for you. I have owned Fords, and I have the maintanence done at the local Chevy dealership as I built a relationship with them for several years, and they will do my oil changes for $6 if I just bring in the oil and filter for them. I havn't needed to do an oil change yet, but I will likely continue with my tradition of using nothing other than Mobil 1 full synthetic combined with a Mobil 1 oil filter.

I'm wondering whether a spoiler would create any additional drag on the vehicle. If so, it could potentially hurt fuel economy. I personally don't care for spoilers as they are generally non functional in most vehicles. Those chrome rims really do look sharp though! However, I wonder how well the chrome plating will hold up for those of us who constantly expose our vehicles to extreme conditions and tons of road salt.

Some of us are much more risk averse than others. I fall into this group as I tend to be extremely risk averse. Extended warranty programs are usually sold because they are supposed to yield a profit on average to the seller. They would not exist if they were being sold at a loss. However, I find that the $1300 or so buys me peace of mind that you cannot have without the ESP. On some past vehicles like my previous Trailblazer SS, I didn't buy one as I had no intention of leaving the warranty unmolested on it. On this vehicle, it seems to make sense since all it takes is a single big ticket item failure to already make up for your initial cost of the ESP.

I would take it if the laws of nature would let me. You can keep your stupid drivers though, as Cincinnati already has enough stupid drivers as it is. Our problem makes it even worse when the Indiana oldies cross our border and invade our roads by driving 20mph under the limit, or crawling at under half the limit when it starts raining. People who do not know their limitations severely irritate me. There is a notorious section of I71 which is a small cut in the hill that leads up to the higher class suburbs, and it is amazing how many people attempt it in snow that have no business even driving on a flat road in snow.

Forgive my language, but i'm raising the ultimate bullshit flag on your dealer. A good site that some of us have gone to is http://www.buy-ford-warranty.com. Some people here have bought from this site and have had no problem and you might be able to do a search and dig up these older threads. You can go to the dealer's service department after a week or so and they will be able to verify that the ESP has been entered into Ford's system. They will not need to do a full inspection of your car, as that is not how the ESP works. Ford charges different prices depending on how many miles you have at the time of purchase. The limitation is that you much purchase before 36000 miles, or at least that is how it has worked in the past. Between 0-12000 miles, you are charged a rate. Between 12000-24000 miles, the rate goes up a bit, and between 240000-36000 miles, the rate goes up a lot. In my case, I took the price off of that website, and had my dealer match it. When my dad bought his Fusion last week, I did the same as my dealer matched the price.

I would suspect that snow traction is all about the tires you have on the vehicle. I would suspect that most of us still have plenty of tread left on our OEM tires. If we were to ask this same question 10k miles later, many of us might have different responses to this. Many tires seem to do decently until you get below 60% tread at which point snow traction is severely compromised. Nothing will substitute for the performance of a dedicated snow tire in the winter, as i've driven my brother's Honda Civic with snow tires through 22 inches of snow. Even when you plow into a smaller drift, you just keep a steady foot on the pedal and it gradually pulls you through. I have an older Focus that functions as my winter beater, so luckly I havn't had to subject my hybrid to this snow. I actually get jealous at you guys who tend to get a bit more snow as the snow that falls here in Cincinnati is usually only a few inches at a time with most winter storms dropping at most 5-7 inches at a time.

When it comes to safetly, my understanding is that it depends on the rigidity of what the body on frame vehicle is plowing into. In the cases when the victim is less rigid than the BOF vehicle, the body on frame vehicle does pretty nice while it isn't so nice if it hits something like a concrete wall. For the vast majority of accident scenarios, it would seem likely that you would be hitting something that is likely less rigid in design. I am still a bit traditional though, and simply hope that body on frame designs will never go away. I have no need for a big SUV right now, but Ford better not get any funny thoughts about possibly violating the Expedition if I were to ever need one in the future.

Yes. You are grounded for 2 weeks No TV No Internet No Telephone

I am surprised that people still trust those quick oil change lube places. Here is a nice video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiCAJ8ULnaI These days, I have all of my work done by places that I trust. I had an old Taurus back in the 90's where the lube place broke the micron air filtration panel causing lots of water to leak. With that same Taurus, a Jiffy Lube turned the engine on and revved the motor to make the oil come out of the drain plug faster. Another one put a oil filter on my dad's Chevy Van so loose that it fell off.

I do. It still amazes me each time how hard these hybrids accelerate when you lay the hammer on the loud pedal. Did it just a few hours ago to pass a semi who wasn't getting out of the high speed lane on I71.

I too will chime in here as I think these brake problems are getting way over sensationalized, and I mostly blame the media for that. It turns out that since Michael Jackson isn't dying, or Janet isn't having a wardrobe malfunction, that the media are determined to stretch as much mileage as they possibly can at the expense of companies. The bottom line is that these problems with the Camry or Fusion(hybrid versions) are not as serious as people make them out to be. Toyota has had just a little over 100 complaints(a few deaths unfortunately) based on how many cars they have sold? Ford has only had 3-4 confirmed problems based on the 18k hybrids that need a software update? The bottom line is that I think people tend to hear these sesationalistic media reports and take situations out of context. If your vehicle gas pedal sticks, hit the brake and shift to neutral. As Toyota has stated, this is a problem that happens over time and if your gas pedal works fine now, it will likely continue to work fine. If your Fusion loses regen braking due to this software glitch, go a little further down on the pedal to engage the friction brakes. I will admit that it sounds like the Prius problem is a bit more serious though. Cars have an amazing amount of technology these days. However, I wil end my rant on this note. I would much rather drive a Prius with faulty brakes rather than sit in the passenger seat of some SUV driven by some girl with a cell phone glued to her ear.

I continue to hear about how harsh those Lincoln MKS' ride, and I wonder what Ford was thinking. I have never been in one, but I would probably like it since years of owning performance vehicles have given me a love for firm riding vehicles. However, most people who buy a Lincoln are not necessarily looking for something that rides that harsh. Even the car magazine people are complaining, and those guys tend to love vehicles that compromise comfort for handling. I wouldn't mind an Ecoboost MKS, but it stickers for about $24k over what my budget was.

Ford now requires you to have owned a minimum of 100 shares of F for a minimum of 6 months before Ford Stockholder Relations is allowed to sponsor you with an x-plan PIN. With Ford shares trading so much higher than they did a while back, 100 shares would be in the $1050-1100 range which still may not be a bad investment since I am a bit bullish on the future of Ford stock(I have owned a small amount for a few years). On top of that, it will still get you a really good price on future hot selling Ford vehicles as they come out. I suspect that the new 2011 Mustang is going to be a pretty hot commodity, and who knows what you'll want to buy in a few years from now.

I have to say that this was fast! My dealer just called me this morning at 8:25am to notify me of the software update to address this issue with the brakes. I told him that i'll come in at some point, but likely not until I come in for my free oil change. At no time are you ever without brakes, and i'll just make sure i'm ready to slam the brakes in case this ever happens to me.

If someone is interested in a hybrid around Cincinnati, Northgate Ford/Lincoln/Mercury/Kitchen Sink currently have 2 hybrids that have been on the lot of a while now. They also have a lot of Sports. One is black, and i'm not sure what the other color is. Their website is http://www.cincyford.com . I got mine last year for x-plan, but you may be able to negotiate a pretty good price now. However, only a few dealers had any in stock and I had to place mine on order which took about 7-8 weeks to get in. The dealers who did have them in stock were not negotiating, but the hybrid was really hot back then. X-plan is a pretty good deal, although x-plan also disqualifies you for a few of the other incentives that Ford is offering such as military, or college graduate discounts. You can also go to Edmunds http://www.edmunds.com and get an idea for what people are paying for their Fusion Hybrid or Sports right now in your area via their TMV tool. It is not going to be accurate, but might give you a ball park figure on what you might be able to expect.

It might be because the social parasites(trial lawyers) are getting ready to have a feeding frenzy at the expense of Toyota. My understanding is that this issue was discovered and publicized by Consumer Reports of all publications. My guess is that Ford wants to simply nip this at the bud, and just get it taken care of before the media decide to blow yet another issue out of proportion. Ford has already stated that this is a software issue, and at no point are you without brakes. I have not had this issue at all, and I probably will not go to the dealer to get this new calibration unless I have to go for something else in the future(such as my free oil changes).

What absolutely impresses me, is how quiet these vehicles are whether you get an S, or Hybrid. I have only driven the S, Hybrid, and test drove an SE last year. I have test driven a Lexus ES330 a few years ago, and I honestly have to say that these Fusions are almost as quiet as the Lexus was(at lower speeds as the Lexus was clearly quieter on the highway). These are some well designed vehicles with incredible build quality. Having owned an Escort before with my mom owning one as well back in the 90's, I have always been impressed with Ford's Hermosillo plant. However, the build quality of these new Fusions have given me even better respect for what they do down there, and seems to be an incredible preview of where Ford is heading with their vehicle engineering, design, and assembly teams. My belief with Ford is that Ford wanted a vehicle that would not compete directly with the Toyota Camry Hybrid. There are plenty of hybrid owners(like many of us) who like the Fusion because it isn't a mushy Camry. Ford gave it a unique flavor that has really shown people that hybrids can actually be very fun cars to drive. I suspect that Ford could have gone with a much lighter 16 inch tire/wheel combination, but then it would likely no longer be a unique vehicle among the sea of vanilla hybrids.

I thought i'd post my personal comparison between the S and Hybrid Fusions. My dad has an old Crown Victoria and recently the intake manifold gasket was diagnosed as leaking. As some of you guys are aware, many of the older 4.6 litre V8's that Ford used had composite intake manifolds that were known to be spotty. It is not a cheap repair. He has rode along in my hybrid a few times and was so impressed that he wanted a Fusion of his own. He decided on a Candy Red Fusion S because it is likely the best automotive value on the market. You get so much for so little money in that car as there are many standard features that are optional on other vehicles. I have had a chance to drive his car today as he complained that something kept rattling when he was going over rough surfaces. At first, I couldn't figure it out as it sounded like the dash had a very loud rattle. It turned out that his key chain was rattling as I found out when I accidently hit it with my knee and it stopped rattling. I have to say that this is one impressive car. I drove it for 25 miles and according to the dash display, it showed that I was averaging 33mpg. The EPA rating for the S is 23 city and 34 highway. This is on a car that only has 64 miles on the odometer. I know that the in dash display can be inaccurate, but the car only has 64miles on it and that is the only info I can report. The next thing I noticed was how incredibly quiet this car is. I suspect that the 16 inch tires are responsible for this, but the S was in fact quieter than my Hybrid when cruising down the highway at 68mph. Due to the 16 inch tires, I also noticed that the ride quality was very nice as it felt more Toyota Camry like. I prefer the firm ride of my Hybrid, but I know that there are some folks here who believe the Hybrid rides too firm. When doing the city portion of my driving, I also noticed that the engine is definately quieter than the Honda Accord, and about as quiet as a I4 Camry. The transmission is also a gem in the Fusion S. The shifts were so smooth and seamless that I was unable to determine what gear I was in. The interior was a bit cheaper, but you would expect that in a car that costs nearly $11-12k less than my hybrid. I found that the seats are arguably better than the seats in my hybrid as well. The seats in my hybrid are definately of a sporting nature. They are very comfortable, but tend to be a bit aggressive. These base model seats were clearly designed with long range driving comfort in mind. The only fault is that the Focus comes with 6 way manual seats, while you can only get 4 way manual seats in the Fusion S. It would have been nice to be able to adjust the tilt of the bottom seat cushion.

I actually traded in my body-on-frame Chevy Trailblazer SS for my Fusion Hybrid. That SUV was likely putting out over 500hp from all of the modifications I did to it. That thing was incredible at WOT. Another body-on-frame vehicle i've owned in the past was a very unreliable Land Rover Discovery(Land Rover traded me into this since my LR Freelander spent 180 days of the 6 months I owned it in the shop). I have also owned a Crown Victoria and Mercury Marauder as well. I also had a short stint with a Ford SVT Lightning. I know that Unibody vehicles have come a long way, but I still have that old mindset in that I don't trust unibody for heavy duty applications. I think they are fine for regular cars, but I don't quite prefer them in truck or SUV type apps. I remember when the Honda Ridgeliner came out and how I thought it was the bastardization of everything I think a pickup truck should be. Full body-on-frame vehicles may not exactly be best for performance or handling, but I have enjoyed the ruggedness as well as the "security" that I feel of knowing there is a heavy duty ladder type frame rail running the entire length of the vehicle. I guess I tend to have a more traditional viewpoint, regardless of the advances that have been made. I wouldn't mind owning a Ecoboosted Flex though, but the Edge just looks way too wierd for my taste. The new Explorer looks pretty neat, but thank goodness that Ford will always sell the Expedition if I ever need a heavy duty SUV at some distant point in the future.

You know, I didn't think of it like that! I guess it just scares the hell out of me that the new Exploror is going to be based on unibody construction. I tend to prefer ful body on frame vehicles, but I guess they are not as practical as they used to be. I really miss vehicles like the Crown Victoria, or the Buick Roadmaster.

Keep in mind that a USAToday survey found that the #1 reason people bought the Pious was to "make a political statement." It is a nice car, but boy did it get hit hard by a 10 ton ugly stick. It still looks better than the new Honda Insight in my opinion, which obviously has gotten hit by a 12 ton ugly stick. During my search for a vehicle, I gave the Fusion Hybrid extra points because it actually looks and drives like a normal vehicle. For people to buy a car to make a politicial statement seems so wierd, as you buy a car for other good reasons. I don't care whether my vehicle makes a statement about me, and I feel that these people who litter their poor cars with bumper stickers need to be bitch slapped once or twice just for fun just to make sure they are doing it on their free will, and not because they are under the influence.

I think it is impressive that the guy that possibly saved Boeing is the guy that is currently saving Ford Motor Company. As a huge Ford fan, I found it so painful watching former CEO's like Jacques "the knife" Nasser and Bill "I wanna be an environmentalist" Ford Jr. literally ran Ford into the ground. However, my biggest fear is that Ford might be trying to do too much with its future product lineup. We already have the Ford Flex, Ford Edge, Ford Escape, and Ford Expedition for people who want a SUV or CUV. As some of you guys may have heard, the new redesigned Exploror is going to be coming out as a redesigned CUV instead of a full SUV. My fear is that there is just no room for the Exploror. They are currently looking to hire 1200 people in Chicago to make the new Exploror, and i'm not sure if this is a good idea.